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Saturday, January 5, 2013

Maple and Balsamic Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes. Maple syrup. Balsamic vinegar.

There was no way this wasn't going to be awesome. I found this recipe on the Food Network and adapted it a bit to make it lower in fat (as I almost always do). And holy crap - they are so freaking amazingly good.

You can serve these as a side dish with dinner, but I have also used them as a filling for quesadillas and also in a roasted chicken wrap I made. They are packed with flavor - sweet and salty, with the caramelized onions to add a little extra kick. And they are very, very easy to make. If you're feeling especially pinched for time (or in my case, lazy), you can even buy pre-chopped sweet potatoes and literally just throw all of this together in a bowl and put it in the oven. It's about 2 minutes of prep time if you do that, or about 10 minutes of prep time if you don't. But totally worth it either way.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line two baking dishes with foil (this will make clean-up a breeze and will protect your dishes from the caramelized sauce).

In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with 2 tbsp. maple syrup, the 2 tbsp. olive oil, 2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. black pepper until they are evenly coated. Spread the sweet potatoes in the two baking dishes so they are in a single layer. Roast for 20 - 30 minutes, or until they are caramelized and soft. Start checking them after 15 minutes to stir for even baking.

About 10 minutes before they are done roasting, coast a nonstick pan with cooking spray and saute the slivered onions until they are translucent. Add the other 2 tbsp. maple syrup, 2 - 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (according to your own taste), and about 1/4 cup water and simmer until the sauce becomes thick and caramelized (but not too thick - you want this to coat all of the potatoes). If the pan becomes dry, add another tablespoon or two of water.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and combine again into a large bowl. Add the sauce and toss to coat evenly. Season as necessary with additional salt and pepper. Serve immediately.